US Equity ETF

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund is an exchange-traded fund incorporated in the USA. The Fund's objective is to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index. The Index includes companies in the automobile consumer durables apparel media hotel and leisure industries.

After a laggard showing in 2014 that saw it rank as the second-worst of the nine sector SPDR exchange traded funds, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) has roared back in 2015.
With a year-to-date gain of 5.3%, XLY, the largest ETF dedicated to the co...

The effects of lower oil prices will take a while to trickle through the economy, but consumer sector stocks and related exchange traded funds may have already priced in the potential boost to spending.
Year-to-date, the Market Vectors Retail ETF (NYSEArca: RTH) advanced 4.9% ...

State Street's (NYSE: STT) State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) unit, the third-largest U.S. issuer of exchange traded funds, delivered some good news for investors in popular sector ETFs, such as the Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLE) and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR...

The strong U.S. dollar has weighed on large-cap companies with overseas foreign exchange exposure, but small-cap consumer sector exchange traded funds may capitalize on improved growth at home.
For instance, ETF investors can use the PowerShares S&P SmallCap Consumer Stapl...

Low gasoline prices put more money back into U.S. consumers' wallets. However, the added boost to income has not translated to outsized performance in discretionary stocks and related exchange traded funds as skeptical consumers hold back.
Year-to-date, the Consumer Staples Se...

On Thursday, 37 exchange traded funds touched new all-time highs. In what may be a cautionary tale for the veracity of this week's equity market bounce, at least five of the members of Thursday's all-time high club were consumer staples ETFs.
One of those ETFs Consumer Staples...

Cyclical sector exchange traded funds were, for the most part, laggards in 2014. For example, the Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLI) and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) posted an average of 2014 return of about 10%.
Investors that stuck...

Led by consumer discretionary, financial services and, perhaps surprisingly, energy funds, sector exchange traded funds continued hauling in assets last month.
"Sector flows were positive over the last month with investors favoring an interesting mix that highlights the theme ...

Americans are getting into the festive spirit and increased spending this holiday season. More notably, consumers were inclined to spend on "experiences," potentially lifting discretionary-sector exchange traded funds with large exposures to hotels and restaurants.
For instanc...

The holiday shopping season has brought consumer and retail sector exchange traded funds some Christmas cheer, and the improving conditions could entice consumers to keep fueling the economy through the new year.
The Market Vectors Retail ETF (NYSEArca: RTH) was the best consu...

When overweighting a specific sector, exchange traded fund investors should monitor their underlying holdings or risk becoming overexposed to a single company stock.
Most ETFs try to reflect the performance of an underlying index, and many benchmarks are market capitalization-...

As the holiday shopping season goes into full swing, Americans have been limited by wage growth and only spend within their means, potentially subduing the outlook for consumer sector-related exchange traded funds.
Over the past month, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector ...

The S&P 500 is up 5.6% over the past month and has been , on what feels like an almost daily basis, hitting record highs.
At the sector level, however, there are ample signs investors are eschewing risk, a scenario confirmed by the recent, overt favoritism investors have a...

With Monday's modest gain, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: SPY), the world's largest exchange traded fund, is up almost 9.3% year-to-date after touching a record high earlier in November's first trading session.
That is a solid, though not jaw-dropping performance, but one...

Let's quickly clear up that headline. The truly bad signs are emanating from the consumer discretionary sector and exchange traded funds such as the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY).
The bad news comes by way of continued erosion in the comparative per...

Gearing up for a busy shopping season, the retail and consumer discretionary sector exchange traded funds may experience a little more holiday cheer.
So far this year, the retail and consumer sectors have been underperforming the broader market. The SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NY...

October is here and with the arrival of the tenth month of the year also comes one of the most volatile months for stocks. The upside of that is October also represents the last month in weakest sixth-month period in which to be long equities.
Although October has a reputation...

After today, there are just four trading days left in the third quarter, so there is no time like the present to examine quarterly flows trends into and out of exchange traded funds.
Before getting to that, it must be pointed out that on a year-to-date basis, "investors have r...

U.S.-listed exchange traded funds added $14.8 billion in new assets last month, but despite August being the best month for U.S. stocks since February, fixed income ETFs led in terms of monthly inflows.
Fixed income ETFs added $8.36 billion in new assets last month compared to...

The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) entered Wednesday with a meager 2.6% year-to-date gain, good (or bad) enough to highlight the discretionary sector's as the biggest laggard in the S&P 500.
With some help from some of the group's most familiar n...

The consumer discretionary sector was a leadership for U.S. stocks coming for several years after the March 2009 market bottom.
This year, the discretionary group has not only ceded its leadership mantle, the sector is the worst performer in the S&P 500. Encouraged by soli...

The consumer discretionary sector is the worst-performing group in the S&P 500 this year. Reflecting the sector's laggard status, three of the 10 worst non-leveraged exchange traded funds on a year-to-date basis are explicit discretionary plays or have ample exposure to the s...

With consumer confidence on the rise and fewer applications filed for unemployment benefits, consumer discretionary stocks and related exchange traded funds might find further support as Americans increase to spending.
Over the past month, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sec...

It was one of last year's top-performing sectors, but consumer discretionary stocks and the relevant exchange traded funds have been tepid at best in 2014.
Year-to-date, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) is the only one of the nine sector SPDRs to h...

It is not a perfect market indicator on its own, but measuring the ratio of the consumer discretionary sector against its consumer staples counterpart can give investors some sense of broader risk appetite.
At the moment, they may not like what that ratio turns up. Over the pa...

Following a weak holiday shopping season, coupled with winter snow storms, weighed on retail names, the consumer discretionary sector, along with related exchange traded funds, is one of the most attractively priced U.S. equity sectors.
"With its recent pullback, the consumer ...

April is here and with the arrival of the fourth month of the year comes the opportunity for new seasonal ideas with exchange traded funds.
While seasonal ideas have proven rewarding in the past, investors should remember that seasonality, be it for sector ETFs, commodities fu...

Among traditional market capitalization-weighted sector exchange traded funds, utilities funds are leading the way this year.
Looking at the nine sector SPDRs, investors will see the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLU) is running away from rival sector ETFs in a sign ...

Fourth-quarter earnings season is essentially in the books and the results, though mixed from sector to sector, were solid overall. Expectations are in place for solid, but weaker profit reports for the first quarter, meaning now is a good time to evaluate exchange traded funds t...

Conventional wisdom holds that in a veracious bull market, defensive consumer staples stocks and exchange traded funds will be laggards.
That was the case last year when the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLP) offered up a market-lagging 26.2% gain, one that wa...

The Labor Department said the U.S. economy added 175,000 jobs last month, easily topping the consensus estimate calling for a gain of 149,000 new jobs. Consumer discretionary stocks and exchange traded funds may have told investors weeks ago that the jobs report would be better ...

March did not start off on a positive note due to the conflict in Ukraine, but there is still time for it to live up to its billing as one of the best months of the year for stocks.
As we noted last week, March and April are two of the best months of the year for U.S. stocks. ...

Just three of the nine sector SPDRs exchange traded funds are higher on a year-to-date basis.
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLP) are not in that group of three. However, XLY's out-performanc...

After ranking at or near the top on the list of top-performing sector and industry exchange traded funds last year, consumer discretionary ETFs have struggled out of the gate in 2014. Even with the benefit of impressive bounces off their Feb. 3 lows, some well-known discretionary...

Winter storms across the U.S. are having a crippling effect on the economy, with some sector exchange traded funds slowing down as businesses come to a standstill.
The unruly weather system has closed schools and business, made driving treacherous and cancelled thousands of fl...

As the exchange traded fund universe expands, investors can now choose among multiple offerings for any given market or sector. Nevertheless, investors should look beyond an ETF's appellation and delve into the strategy and holdings.
For instance, investors shouldn't solely re...

Fourth-quarter earnings season kicks-off Thursday when former Dow component Alcoa (NYSE: AA) delivers results after the close of U.S. markets.
While the fourth-quarter reports and guidance offered by companies have the potential to be exciting, investors may not want to hold t...

It is end-of-the-year scorecard review and reflection time. Including paid dividends, the S&P 500is up more than 31% this and has raced to a series of record highs.
In other words, 2013 was very kind to the bulls, but that does not mean anyone batted 1.000. Early this year...

With Dow Jones Industrials component MCD (it carries a 5.09% weighting in the index and related ETF DIA (SPDR Dow Jones Industrials Average, Expense Ratio 0.16%) off considerably since the end of November, and on extremely heavy volume in a short period of time, this presents an ...

Stocks have performed well since the start of the fourth quarter with the S&P 500 posting a gain of nearly 7%. However, an ominous trend has emerged.
"The 11.4 to 1 negative-to-positive ratio of earnings forecasts sets the fourth quarter up as the most negative on record. ...

U.S. stocks performed well in November, ensuring the eleventh month of the year lived up to its billing as the start of the best six-month cycle in which to be long equities.
With December here, several important seasonal trends could come into play. At the sector level, the o...

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest days for the retail sector in the year, and investors can gain exposure to the start of America's holiday shopping spree through consumer sector-related exchange traded funds.
When it comes to ETFs, investors can choose betw...

As a market capitalization weighted index, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) has undergone some noteworthy sector shifts over the years.
For example, financial services spent significant time as the S&P 500's largest sector weight. Then financial crisis struck, punishing bank stocks...

Like a lot of professional investors, hedged funds like exchange traded funds. However, the affinity for ETFs displayed by some hedge funds may come as a surprise to some. That is to say hedge funds like to short ETFs.
"Hedge funds use ETFs more as a hedging tool than as a dir...

Price appreciation just keeps on coming for health care exchange traded funds. Twenty ETFs have hit new all-time highs in Thursday's session and eight are health care-related.
There are two leveraged ETFs on the list of Thursday's new all-time highs and one is the Direxion Dai...

This is how strong U.S. stocks have been this year: The worst performer among the nine sector SPDR ETFs is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLU) with a year-to-date gain of 14.4%.
That is not surprising as XLU is not only the highest-yielding SPDR, but also the one ...

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) hit another record high on Wednesday, the 34th this year. Market history buffs will enjoy this nugget: The S&P 500 has hit 1,020 new closing highs since 1928, according to S&P Capital IQ's senior index analyst Howard Silverblatt.
If there is cau...

From the outside, a rally is a rally and upside is to be enjoyed by all but those that insist on going against the trend. However, a deeper look should turn up a rally based on falling sector correlations and that is not the current state of affairs with U.S. equities.
"The av...

Conventional wisdom says that the fourth quarter is a good time to own retail stocks and exchange traded funds due primarily to the holiday shopping season. March is also believed to be kind to retail stocks because that is when fourth-quarter earnings start rolling in.
"The ...

Exchange traded funds inflows data for the month of October highlights that investors love stocks and their preference continues to lean toward higher-beta sectors.
"Investors have been pumping huge sums into equities in October. Although global equity funds have only about o...

As if it has not been for most of the past three years. Over that time, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) has been the best performer among the nine sector SPDRs by a wide margin.
Since October 2010, XLY has bested the Health Care Select Sector SPDR...

Many investors are familiar with the old adage "Sell in May and go away." The other parts of that story is the going away part usually ends in October while the time to return to stocks is usually November.
Investors that doubt the potency of the best and worst six-month perio...

One of the biggest news items in the exchange trade products business this week was the debut of 10 sector ETFs from financial services giant Fidelity.
And part of the big story there is that Fidelity is now the low-cost leader when it comes to sector ETFs. Not only can Fideli...

Third-quarter earnings season is nearly three weeks in the books and "tepid" is an apt descriptor at this point. A little less than two-thirds of the S&P 500 components that have reported thus far have topped EPS estimates and a disappointing 52% have beaten revenue estimates...

Signaling a shift from growth-oriented bets to safer plays for troubled times, defensive sector exchange traded funds led the market over the past month.
"It may be troubling, but it's indicative of what's happening in the market," Vadim Zlotnikov, chief market strategist at A...

Investors are constantly hearing about remaining diversified and not putting all of their investment eggs into a single basket. However, data suggest some fund managers are woefully under-allocated to several previously popular sectors and themes that are easily accessed via ETFs...

The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) is already up 29.3% this year, making it the second-best of the nine sector SPDR ETFs, trailing only the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLV).
Over the past 90 days, XLY, the largest discretionary sector E...

Investors are turning against the consumer discretionary exchange traded funds. Still, the excessively bearish outlook can be an opportunity to step in as the sector bounces around its short-term trend line.
In a mid-August report, Bank of America outlined a bearish outlook on...

Retail sector exchange traded funds have been one of the better performing areas this year so investors will be focused on retail sales data later this week for continued strength in the sector.
The SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEArca: XRT) has gained 31.0% year-to-date, Consume...

Equal weight exchange traded funds have outperformed the broader markets while providing investors with a diversified exposure that reduces risk of overconcentration to a single holding.
An equal weight strategy gives each stock in the index the same allocation - a mega giant ...

While the consumer staples and consumer staple sectors both rely on spending habits, consumer related exchange traded funds act differently in a shifting economy.
Typically, investors can look at the two consumer sectors as discretionary "wants" and staple "needs."
Discreti...

The equities market is pulling back on speculation of the eventual Fed "tapering." However, the withdrawal from quantitative easing will go hand-in-hand with an improving economy, and Schwab analysts say cyclical sectors, along with related exchange traded funds, should behave "q...

Retail sales reports for the past month have surprised analysts as data came in higher than expected. Sales rose 1.1%, higher than the 0.5% that was expected due to stronger employment reports and solid domestic data.
"Morningstar director of economic analysis Robert Johnson f...

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) reports quarterly earnings later this week, but analysts are not upbeat after an internal email warned of slowing sales. February has been one of the most unimpressive months for sales with this retailer and focused exchange traded funds could fall out of fav...

Despite a resolution to the fiscal cliff, the consequences of the budget deal will still negatively affect the markets and exchange traded funds. One iShares analyst points out some potential pitfalls and opportunities in the months ahead.
"The fiscal drag left in place by the...

As the end of 2012 approaches, the S&P 500 sectors and related exchange traded funds that are performing the best deserve a second look. Here is a run-down of the top three.
"Of the nine sectors in the S&P 500, the two underperforming sectors year-to-date are energy an...

Consumer confidence is at a five-year high this November with prospects of stronger spending possible going into the holiday retail season. Consumer discretionary stocks and ETFs such as the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEArca: XLY) give investors targeted ex...

Retailers are kicking off holiday sales earlier this year on Thanksgiving day. Tom Lydon appeared on FOX Business today to discuss which ETFs are poised to capitalize on a blockbuster holiday shopping season.
Watch the FOX Business video to see the full interview.

Hurricane Sandy, the perfect storm or "Frankenstorm," is expected to leave billions in damages along its wake as it ravages through the Northeast. When the markets start trading again, sector exchange traded funds investors will have to keep an eye on a couple of key areas.
Tr...

The consumer discretionary sector is sensitive to economic cycles, but despite the sluggish U.S. economy, consumer strength has been prevalent in 2012. Should the economic climate become favorable and the current uptrend continue, focused stocks and exchange traded funds will ent...

After a better-than-expected jobs report, consumer spending is a key indicator investors will watch as the holiday season nears and retail and consumer discretionary ETFs will be sensitive to the data.
"With the beleaguered housing market finally showing some signs of helping ...

The e-commerce giant Amazon (NasdaqGS: AMZN) has been one of this year's top performers as the retailer expands beyond household goods. For those interested in Amazon as a part of a diversified portfolio, investors may take a look at either retail or Internet sector exchange trad...

Bullish traders are already eschewing safe-haven assets in favor of risky equity plays, but for those who are still wary of a market pullback, consumer staples exchange traded funds are a low-risk way to dip one's toes into stocks.
For example, Consumer Staples Select Sector S...

ETFs following retail and consumer discretionary stocks have been among the top sector performers in 2012 but have faltered along with the S&P 500 in May. The sector regaining its footing would be a positive sign for the overall market and sentiment on consumer spending, whic...

An exchange traded fund indexed to the consumer discretionary sector is lingering near an all-time high and outperforming the S&P 500, which are good technical signs for the overall market.
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLY) is up 17.7% year to date,...

The U.S. economy may be doing better than we think as the improving jobs market is translating to higher consumer confidence. The government released better-than-expected retail sales numbers Monday, lifting retail stocks and sector-related exchange traded funds.
SPDR S&P ...

Specialized ETFs that focus on discretionary sectors are poised to benefit from higher consumer spending if U.S. employment data continues to improve, analysts say.
"With the economy appearing to be in recovery as stronger than expected jobs numbers keep coming in each month, ...

As the exchange traded fund industry continues to expand and attract more assets, fund providers have been able to lower expenses, often undercutting the competition. State Street Global Advisors recently lowered its fees by 1 basis point on all its sector ETFs in what appears to...

The S&P 500 is off to its best start in many years, a bullish technical signal since the so-called January Barometer has a decent track record for predicting full-year gains for stock exchange traded funds.
Furthermore, cyclical sectors and related ETFs are leading the mar...

With escalating tensions over Iran and the threat of an oil disruption occurring this year gradually getting priced into oil, it's worth entertaining the idea that consumers may face some serious headwinds as energy costs rise due to factors completely outside their control.
O...

Black Friday kicked off the holiday shopping season and shoppers will be on the hunt for more deals throughout the holidays. Investors interested in capitalizing on greater consumer activity may start shopping for exchange traded funds that track the retail sector.
According t...

Tom Lydon appeared on CNBC's Closing Bell on Wednesday afternoon at Schwab's IMPACT Conference to offer his thoughts on the Federal Reserve announcement and what to expect in the markets the rest of the year. Watch the CNBC video to see the full interview.

At the end of last month I penned an article here about how exchange traded funds indexed to the consumer sector were broadcasting a melt-up in equities this fall.
A move higher was a high-probability scenario for the same reasons I called a summer sell-off in June. The Sept. ...

In June I started writing about the possibility of a summer crash and it was obviously a tough season for stocks.
Now, however, I see a fall melt-up in equity prices.
My reasoning for this has nothing to do with gut feeling, but rather has to do with listening to the messag...

A couple months ago I started noticing significant distortions between and among sectors and various asset classes.
As a result, in early June I started penning articles warning that a stock crash was in the cards this summer. [Summer Crash of 2011?]
Make no mistake -- we h...

Exchange traded funds that invest in consumer discretionary stocks shook off a 6% decline in Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) shares Thursday after the sector ETFs recently hit an all-time high.
Marriott shares were under pressure following quarterly earnings in line with ex...

Energy exchange traded funds were the top-performing sector ETFs in Tuesday's stock rally as top holdings Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX) added more than 1%.
U.S. stock ETFs shook off a report estimating consumer confidence fell in June to the lowest level in n...

Stock exchange traded funds (ETFs) jumped at the opening of trading on the prospect of Greece getting help resolving its debt crisis as investors overlooked the negative S&P/Case Shiller home price index.
European stocks rose Tuesday on hopes that a new aid deal for Greece...

A 12% premarket sell-off in Staples (NasdaqGS: SPLS) on Wednesday was set to rain on the parade in retail exchange traded funds, which have rallied this year.
The office-supplies company reported lower-than-expected quarterly profit and cut its full-year view. "Our first-quart...

Shares of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) were fractionally lower Thursday after the Golden Arches said its quarterly profit rose 11%.
The restaurant operator is a bellwether for the consumer-discretionary sector and a top holding among exchange traded funds (ETFs) tracking that portio...

Are you thinking this recent correction is a buying opportunity? If so, you may want to take a look at the consumer discretionary sector, along with sector related exchange traded funds (ETFs).
While many are affected by unemployment and the housing market, most Americans have...

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) seized an opportunity to turn higher as oil prices paused for a breath in early trading.
Middle East ETFs are leading the charge today. Both Market Vectors Gulf States (NYSEArca: MES) and PowerShares MENA Frontier Countries (NYSEArca: PMNA) are up...

If you're looking for evidence that consumers aren't spending, you won't find it at the Super Bowl.
Ticket prices are sky high: scalpers were asking for as much as $1,300 before last year's game. There will be no such bargains this year - the lowest price you'll find is $2,000...

Fast food may not be the most lean and mean cuisine, but the operations of its purveyors are becoming that way. Smarter use of money and casting off dead weight could be a gain for exchange traded funds (ETFs) that own these companies.
As the economy recovers, fast food corpor...

Equities have gained ground after being pummeled in the market crash, and valuations are still cheap. If you're still sitting in the sidelines, don't let the recovery in the markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs) pass you by.
Large, well-established companies are trading, on...

The U.S. auto industry returned to profitability last year and sales are expected to surge higher this year. Though there is currently no automobile exchange traded fund (ETF) available, that won't stop you if you want to get exposure to this comeback story.
U.S. auto sales co...

The government is all about the helping hands these days: the Fed and its $600 billion Treasury buying program, the ongoing Bush-era tax cuts debate. All this assistance has to benefit some exchange traded funds (ETFs), right?
The Obama administration stated that the "framewor...

As Americans on Main Street hunt for signs of health in the U.S. economy, one place such health may be appearing is in exchange traded funds (ETFs) that hold restaurant stock.
In a tight job market, the restaurant business has bucked the no-hiring trend. In September, restaura...

The U.S. economic numbers for the third quarter came in, and it looks like consumers are starting to spend again, though still not quite as much as before the financial crisis. Hopeful investors who believe in the power of the American consumer may want to take a look at some con...

It was a heady year-and-a-half for consumer discretionary exchange traded funds (ETFs). And then came a series of left hooks that sent the ETFs down as much as 8% in the last three months. What's it going to take for a comeback?
These knocks are no surprise. Jonathan Bernstein...

While exchange traded funds (ETFs) digested the improved labor market news this morning, the markets held off on making any bold moves in either direction.
According to the ETF Dashboard, some of the top-moving funds this morning are gold miner ETFs, which is on the backs of s...

Encouraging signals about the economic recovery propelled exchange traded funds (ETFs) higher in early trading, including those focused on oil and the euro.
First-time jobless claims fell more than economists expected last week, to 454,000. No one can claim the job market is h...

No matter what the markets are doing in the United States and abroad, it doesn't seem to kill a craving for a burger and fries. Here are four exchange traded funds (ETFs) that will give you exposure to these thriving multinational corporations.
Kevin Grewal for Daily Markets s...

The U.S. economy is chugging along and retail sales numbers are in a three month uptrend. The rise in consumer discretionary spending, along with related exchange traded funds (ETFs), may be the beginnings of a sustainable U.S. recovery.
The drop in auto sales, which fell ...

The signs are all there. U.S. GDP in the first quarter rose, the joblessness situation is slowly improving, consumers are coming out to spend more and homebuilders are feeling more bullish than they have in awhile. That just leaves one thing: which exchange traded funds (ETFs) wi...

Stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) turned sour despite a report showing consumer-led GDP growth in the first quarter, the third consecutive quarterly gain and yet another sign that the economy's free-fall is becoming a memory.
The economy's 3.2% growth rate in the first ...

Despite a positive trade report, the Dow isn't giving the kind of follow-up to its milestone day that investors were expecting. The Dow is negative this morning after crossing the 11,000 mark for the first time in 18 months, sending exchange traded funds (ETFs) lower.
The U.S...

The money isn't exactly flying around yet, but consumers opened their wallets a little wider last month. The news, which is what economists had anticipated, is sending exchange traded funds (ETFs) higher this morning.
With consumer spending being two-thirds of the economy, yo...

Word on the street is that the spending trend is once again resuming, but don't necessarily believe everything you hear. Consumer discretionary spending is still at low levels, even among the high-income set, leaving targeted exchange traded funds (ETFs) lagging slightly.
Dis...

Domestic equity exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been off to a lackluster start so far this year, but we're only a few weeks into 2010. What's the outlook for the other 49 weeks to come?
This year looks like a good year for more merger & acquisition transactions and corpo...

Concerns about a possible debt default in the Middle East made investors nervous and weighed on stock and exchange traded fund (ETF) prices this morning. Investors were also concerned about the strength of the holiday shopping season.
Investors continued to fret abo...

The competition is fierce for holiday sales this year. So much so, that when it comes to some retailers, Black Friday has already begun. There are myriad ways you can play the bargain-hunting with exchange traded funds (ETFs).
Black Friday is the traditional kick-off for the ...

U.S. consumers have retreated, and many are not buying anything but what's necessary leaving retailers to rethink their selling approach as the holidays near. Can exchange traded funds (ETFs) prevail in this tight-fisted climate?
The picture of the U.S. consumer has shifted f...

The September retail sales figures are in, and it's better than expected. But can these results be turned around into a holiday "win" for retail exchange traded funds (ETFs)?
Why analysts predicted a 1% decline, sales actually rose 0.6%. Discounts and bargains have helped lur...

The markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are trading higher this morning in an attempt to reverse two consecutive weeks of losses. A report from the service sector has contributed to the early lift.
The U.S. service sector grew for the first time in 13 months in September...

U.S. stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) fluctuated this morning as commodity prices continue to rally and the U.S. dollar flirts with recent lows.
Crude oil sustained its levels trading north of $71/barrel as some used the volatile commodity as protection against a falli...

Barnes & Noble bookseller is starting its own e-bookstore, giving access to more than 700,ooo books online which can be read on a number of technical devices. It would have them going head-to-head with rival Amazon, meaning exchange traded funds (ETFs) could benefit.
Boo...

Is there a better way to understand market trends and inter-related events in an effort to be a more keen exchange traded fund (ETF) investor?
Trang Ho for Investor's Business Daily talked to Chartered Market Technician Brandon Wendell to get a better understanding of how stu...

The stock market's recovery has been a bit friendlier to certain industry sectors and its exchange traded funds (ETFs) than others. In fact, five out of the nine S&P 500 sectors are in positive territory. So which ones are the top dogs of them all?
The first sector that...

The markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs) have been operating much like they have all week, in the early hours at least, wavering between positive and negative territory. Revised first quarter GDP numbers were issued on Friday, and the latest figures show that our economy dec...

Although many investors are awaiting the big rebound, there are plenty of market opportunities for exchange traded fund (ETF) investors to get in on small daily dips.
In reality, two of the three major averages have not moved much over the month of April. According to Yahoo...

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) has somehow managed to keep their momentum and post strong sales during a tough time for the U.S. economy, Wall Street and exchange traded funds (ETFs).
In this day and age, people really love a bargain. As of November, the fast food purveyor posted 55 ...